


alphabet soup

by griffinfeathers



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Alphabet Prompt, Anyways, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Game: Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Good times, M/M, Mild Language, Not Canon Compliant, One Shot Collection, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Prompt Fic, Rare Pairings, Tags will be updated as I post, bc when doesn't he when i'm behind the keyboard, by which i mean vanitas says The Bad Words in this fic, hey remember when i started this ship tag lmfao, i take a hammer to the canon but it sure as hell aint to fix it, im finally posting the rest of the prompts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:53:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28562346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/griffinfeathers/pseuds/griffinfeathers
Summary: A series of one-shots corresponding with letters of the alphabet. Tags will be updated as I post, and chapter-specific tags will be included in the chapter notes!
Relationships: Ephemer/Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 9





	1. Apartment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No specific tags for this one Vanitas just says fuck a whole bunch internally  
> No game AU  
> \-----  
> A  
> (Apartment)  
> Vanitas's neighbor is a royal pain in the ass. Too bad he's cute.

There wasn’t too much that truly got under Vanitas’s skin. Sure, a lot of things annoyed him to the point of kind of wanting to claw his own eyes out, but that wasn’t _quite_ the same. It took a _special_ kind of obnoxious to really piss him off. His cousin Ventus, the goody-two-shoes perpetual ball of sunshine, for example. Or Ven’s older brother, Terra. He couldn’t really tell which one of them ranked higher on the list most of the time, they were both so equally grating on his nerves.

Vanitas’s next-door neighbor, though - holy _shit_. He was _really_ something special.

Vanitas had moved into the apartment two years back. It still didn’t always feel like home, but it was his; and that was all he really needed out of the place. The window in the bedroom let in a perpetual draft, the cabinets in the kitchen all creaked like they wanted to fall right off of the hinges, the bathroom was barely big enough to move around in, the lights never all worked at once… but it was _his_. _His_ door that never shut right unless it was locked, _his_ stupid thrifted couch with cat scratches on the arm rests, _his_ stupid little 400 square feet of space. No one else’s. 

He’d never had any problems with neighbors in the complex, either. The old tenants-next-door had been shut-ins just like Vanitas. No one ever knocked on his door; no one ever tried to make friends with him. Hell - Vanitas didn’t even know what they _looked_ like. He liked keeping it that way, too.

But then the new guy moved in.

And _gods above_ did Vanitas despise him. 

He probably wasn’t a bad person. In all likelihood, he _wasn’t_. But they had thin walls, and there was a vent between their living rooms and bedrooms, and Vanitas couldn’t tell if the bastard was merely unaware of the fact that the soundproofing between apartments was shit, or if he just didn’t care. But Vanitas wasn’t sure he could handle much more of the new guy talking to his dumb fucking cat like she was a human being at all hours. 

(Worse yet, the cat - _Chirithy_ , he’d unwillingly learned her name to be - meowed back with about twenty different inflections, like she was _actually_ answering him. Vanitas wasn’t sure why that bugged him so much.)

Today was, tragically, no different. 

Vanitas’s narrowed eyes tracked along the wall steadily. _Apparently_ , the cat had grabbed something of his neighbor’s, and she was refusing to drop it. While he chased her through the apartment. Full speed. And he slipped _every time_ he hit the tile of the kitchen like some kind of idiot.

Vanitas turned the volume up on his game with a scowl, and added _buying some functional headphones_ to his mental to-do list. It was probably the only thing off of it he’d actually remember. 

* * *

Vanitas cursed under his breath as he struggled to jam his apartment key into the door. He’d always had problems with the stupid thing - it never wanted to unlock on the first few tries, and the key always got stuck once it _did_ \- but it always seemed to get especially stubborn in the colder months. And, call him crazy, but Vanitas didn’t particularly _enjoy_ being locked out on windy winter mornings. 

Vanitas’s misfortune couldn’t end at the lock, of course. No, it wouldn’t be like the universe to let him off _that_ easy. 

Because before Vanitas could try to take the key out and try again, the neighbor’s door opened. 

Vanitas let his head fall forward and hit the window on his door with a hollow _thump_. Of course. Of all times to cross paths with the idiot, it’d be now. But maybe if he just held really, _really still_ … 

“Oh - good morning,” came the friendly voice of, quite possibly, the worst neighbor Vanitas had ever had. Vanitas kept his head down against his door and jabbed the key back into the lock a little frantically. There was a brief pause before he spoke again. “We haven’t met before, right…?” 

Oh, Christ, he was asking _questions_ now. 

Vanitas took a deep breath, and every ounce of sarcasm in his body came rushing out when he answered flatly, “Sure haven’t.” 

Another pause. “Oh. Well, I’m Ephemer.” The jerk even had the nerve to sound _sad_ that Vanitas wasn’t willfully interacting with him. 

Vanitas turned a scathing glare on his neighbor - Ephemer , or whatever the fuck he’d said his name was - and— 

Oh. 

Vanitas fell woefully short of any of the thousand insults sitting on the tip of his tongue. 

Oh, _no_.

Vanitas wasn’t sure what he’d expected his neighbor to look like, but it wasn’t - well, it certainly wasn’t _that_. Standing just a few feet to Vanitas’s right was a young man, likely the same age as Vanitas himself, with feathery silver hair and a well-loved red scarf tied loosely around his neck. He was just about Vanitas’s height - maybe a bit shorter, Vanitas couldn’t quite tell - with a soft smile and faded freckles on his round cheeks. He couldn’t pin down a name for his eye color, though they were a distinct shade of bright, crystal blue - like clear water in a tropical ocean, he thought distantly, and immediately wanted to kick himself in the teeth for it. 

He was… _really_ pretty. 

Fuck. 

Vanitas dropped his gaze back down onto the keys again, praying to anyone or any _thing_ that would listen to let him get the lock open so he could go die of embarrassment in the safety of his apartment. “Vanitas,” he muttered, twisting the key as hard as he could without bending the mental. No luck. He wasn’t sure what he honestly expected. 

“What was that…?” Ephemer asked gently. 

“My _name_ ,” he bit out, glancing sidelong at the other. Ephemer had tilted his head to one side ever so slightly, and _god_ , that was cute and Vanitas _hated it_. He sighed sharply, yanking the key back half an inch before forcing it back in. “It’s Vanitas. _Stupid fucking key—_ ”

“Vanitas?” Ephemer repeated, and Vanitas ground his teeth because for fuck’s sake that shouldn’t have made his face feel warm _._ “It’s nice to finally meet you!” This time, he didn’t seem all that offended by Vanitas’s lack of response - because the next thing Vanitas knew, Ephemer was within arm’s reach of him, rocking subtly on his heels. “Having trouble with the door…?”

“I swear to god, it does this _every time_.” Vanitas spat out. At the very least, it was giving him something to look at that wasn’t his neighbor. 

“There’s a trick to it,” Ephemer said brightly. “Here - let me try?” 

Vanitas hadn’t answered before Ephemer was shoulder-to-shoulder with him, hand brushing across Vanitas’s as he fiddled with the door. Vanitas didn’t even have the sense to step back fully, because - holy _shit_. 

Ephemer pulled the door towards himself with one hand, and with the other, wiggled the key back and forth gradually, until—

The lock clicked open. 

“Got it!” He beamed. 

Vanitas was trying a little too hard not to choke on air like a moron to say anything in response. Instead, he took the keys back from Ephemer and slipped them into his pocket, glancing over at him reluctantly. Thankfully, Ephemer didn’t seem to be expecting a response from him, anyways; he had already turned, bounding off of the landing and down onto the steps to the parking lot. He was halfway to the next landing before he stopped. “See you around?” He called back hopefully, hanging onto the railing with one hand. 

“Yeah, sure,” Vanitas answered noncommittally. “Whatever.” 

Ephemer grinned, and Vanitas shoved his way into his apartment to finally - _finally_ \- get the hell away from him. He didn’t get the door all the way shut behind him in time to block out Ephemer’s cheerful, “Bye, Vanitas!”

Vanitas dragged a hand down his face as soon as the door was locked, letting out a harsh breath through his nose. 

Fuck. Okay. 

So maybe he _didn’t_ hate his neighbor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!  
> Last time I uploaded, I mentioned that I had an alphabet prompt doc for these two losers - but after a long writing hiatus, I lost track of it like a n e r d. But! I made a new prompt list, and I have a few chapters written already; so here it is! Big shoutout to @lemillion for the lovely art and support on the last fic I posted for this ship!  
> Not sure when uploads will be, but the next few won't take long - they just have to be polished up.
> 
> A huge thank-you to my ever-lovely, ever-patient partner @citruscicle for proof-reading my bullshit and hyping me up to post this<3


	2. Borrowed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post-KH3 AU, in which Vanitas lives and gets the redemption arc he deserved, and Ephemer sticks around. They live together with the Wayfinder Trio, having nowhere else to go and nowhere better to be.
> 
> This is a good time to mention I didn't play the DLC since that's probably plot relevant, and I'm not caught up on khux yet. and also fuck the canon they deserve BETTER
> 
> \-----
> 
> Vanitas's favorite jacket goes missing every time it goes through the wash. When he figures out its whereabouts, he's a little shocked... but Ven sure isn't.

“Did you get into my fucking laundry?” 

Ven blinked owlishly as he looked up from his game. Vanitas stood in the doorway, eyes narrowed angrily and what he could only assume to be a shirt crumpled up in one of his hands. It was such an outlandish accusation that he didn’t quite process it for a moment; but once he did, he was _immediately_ on the defensive. 

“What? No. Why would I do that?” Ven argued, dropping his handheld into his lap. 

Before he could react to Vanitas’s arm reeling back, the balled-up shirt had beamed him in the side of the head. “ _Hey_!” Ven squawked indignantly, grabbing it up and throwing it back at him without hesitation. It hit the door frame next to Vanitas’s head with a soft _thwack_ , sliding down harmlessly to the floor by his feet. Vanitas fixed him with a downright murderous glare - luckily for Ven, though, he didn’t see fit to retaliate.

“Because some of your shit was in with mine,” Vanitas spat, jabbing an accusatory finger towards the fallen shirt, “and my jacket’s missing again!”

Ven stared at him for a long moment, eyebrows furrowed and eyes narrowed. “Yeah, by _accident_!” 

Living under the same roof as Vanitas had presented some… _interesting_ obstacles for all of them; Ven especially so. It had taken a long while for old tensions to wear off between them. At times, it seemed Vanitas was still gearing up for an inevitable fight - he didn’t trust them in the slightest, Ven least of all, and Ven just wasn’t sure how to bridge the gap between them. Thankfully, though, time and proximity had softened the edge of his unease. He was still abrasive, still standoffish; but Vanitas was a far cry from the weapon that Xehanort had once tried to twist him into. 

Ven wondered sometimes how much of it had to do with Ephemer’s presence. 

Ephemer was just as out of place in the world as Vanitas; and he’d had just as hard a time adjusting. Ven was the only familiar face he had left, and, well... Ven hadn't recognized him in the _slightest_ when they'd first met face-to-face. It had been a struggle for Ephemer to reconcile what he’d once known to what he was suddenly living with. It had taken a while for them to pry any semblance of a story out of him; but once they did, they realized just how little of his old life was actually left. Aqua had hoped that Ephemer and Vanitas would get along once they’d all settled in - help one another navigate a world they didn’t yet know well enough to handle on their own - but Vanitas had wanted absolutely _nothing_ to do with him at first, avoiding Ephemer like the plague. Those first few weeks, Vanitas wouldn't even allow himself to be in the same room.

Which… _well_. That didn’t last for long. 

Ven could be a little oblivious at times, but even _he_ couldn’t miss what was going on between them. The way Ephemer looked at Vanitas when the other had his back turned, like he was the reason the sun rose in the morning; how often Vanitas now hung around Ephemer when he so rarely seemed to tolerate the company of anyone else. He’d have to be an idiot not to see how bad they had it for each other. 

Hmm. Come to think of it. 

“Did you ask Ephemer about it?” Ven asked. He couldn’t keep the teasing tone out of his voice. 

Ven was half-expecting Vanitas to snap at him, or storm off in a huff to avoid him for a few days - but instead, Vanitas’s eyes shifted away from him awkwardly, and his shoulders drew up a fraction. “No, why would I? Eph doesn’t get into my stuff, unlike _some_ people.” Despite the bitter insinuation of his words, there was no bite to his tone. 

Ven raised an eyebrow at the nickname, a mischievous smile slowly spreading on his face. He knew he was poking the bear here, but he really just couldn’t help himself; it was too fun, and Vanitas made it _way_ too easy. His crush on Ephemer was so obvious it hurt. “Are you _sure_?” 

Vanitas snorted derisively, crossing his arms. “If you’re so sure he has it, why don’t _you_ go check?” 

Ven grinned, jumping up onto his feet without a moment’s hesitation. He saw a look of something like apprehension flash across Vanitas’s face. It was a subtle change; but Ven saw it clear as day. “Don’t mind if I do!” Ven replied airily, all but skipping past Vanitas to head for the stairs. 

Vanitas didn’t answer apart from a scoff, knocking his shoulder purposefully into Ven’s as he turned towards the kitchen. “Whatever.” 

Ven snickered under his breath as he took the steps two at a time. He made a bee-line for the cracked door at the end of the hallway; but as he pushed it open to call for Ephemer in an obnoxious sing-song, Ven had to stop himself short. 

Ephemer was fast asleep, curled up on top of the sheets with one arm folded under his head. There was an old, worn book in one of his hands - one that Ven didn't recognize - his thumb still wedged between the pages he’d been reading when he drifted off… and he was wearing Vanitas’s missing jacket. 

Ven blinked; once, twice… and without a word, he pulled the door shut gingerly behind him. Ven couldn’t wipe the goofy grin off of his face as he turned and ran back down the steps. Oh, he was _so_ telling Aqua about this later. Ven darted through the living room and into the kitchen, where Vanitas was rifling through the fridge noisily. 

“Ephemer has it,” he announced smugly, folding his arms on top of the open door and peering over it at Vanitas. 

Vanitas glanced up, the look of annoyance on his face at Ven’s proximity quickly shifting into startled confusion. “What? Why?” 

_God_. Ven barely managed to keep his composure at that one. And Vanitas had the nerve to call _him_ clueless. “I dunno. He’s wearing it, though.” 

Vanitas shot straight up, very nearly knocking his head into the top of the fridge. Ven had never seen his eyes so wide. “He’s _what?_ ” He choked out. 

Ven shrugged one shoulder nonchalantly, struggling to keep himself from breaking down into laughter at the deer-in-headlights look Vanitas had adopted. Vanitas always seemed so cool and calculated until it involved Ephemer. Then, he was an open book. “Yeah, he’s sleeping in it. I mean, I can go wake him up and get it back if you really want it that bad.” 

Vanitas ducked back down to grab a can of soda before yanking the door out from under Ven’s arms. Ven lurched forward a few inches before he caught himself, shooting Vanitas a nasty look. Interestingly enough, though - Vanitas caught the door at the last second so it wouldn’t slam. Vanitas quickly busied himself with the snack cabinet to avoid eye contact when he realized what he'd done. 

“No, I’ll just.” He went up onto his toes to snag something of Terra’s from the top shelf. Ven had a funny feeling that wasn’t why his voice sounded so strained, though. “I’ll wear a different one, it doesn’t matter.” 

Ven hummed contemplatively. “Are you sure? You seemed pretty upset when you thought _I_ had it earlier.” 

Vanitas didn’t spare him so much as a glance, ignoring the bait entirely. “I’m not gonna wake him up over some stupid clothes.” 

Ven’s smile softened. As much as he teased, it was nice to see that Vanitas cared for Ephemer so much - even if he only showed it in his own weird, roundabout ways. He was glad they had each other. 

And if he saw Vanitas wearing Ephemer’s scarf later that week, Ven didn’t tell a soul. 

(Apart from Aqua and Terra, at least. Because of _course_ he had to tell Aqua and Terra about it.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live in a bubble where Vanitas got to obliterate Xehanort's kneecaps instead of Sora and Ephemer actually got to be happy
> 
> Oh - sidenote, but I remade my old blog, @today-makes-255! I haven't posted much yet, but it's back up and running if you have writing requests!


	3. Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No game AU - continuation of Chapter 1, Apartment  
> \--  
> C  
> (Comfort)  
> Ephemer's having a rough night. He's not sure what possesses him to text Vanitas when he hears the the TV on next door, but he's glad that he did.

Ephemer had been staring at the wall for so long he could have sworn the shadows had started crawling. 

The only light left to illuminate his room came from the soft glow of the digital clock, blinking steadily atop the nightstand beside him. Ephemer was doing his best not to look at it; he didn’t even want to know what time it was anymore, and really, it was probably better that he didn’t. It was sometime past two, though, he was sure. The last time he’d bothered to actually check, it had been 1:17 am. 

Ephemer rolled over with a heavy sigh, dragging the blankets with him and burying his face in his pillow. Every now and then, for no reason at all, he’d have nights like this one: where he was unable to sleep however exhausted he felt, unable to close his eyes however much they ached. Ephemer would feel like he was alone, adrift at sea a million miles off from any sign of human life despite knowing he was in the middle of a crowded city; he felt cold, even in the humid heat of a summer night. Figures he’d feel his worst when all of his friends were fast asleep. 

Ephemer looked blearily up at the window by his bed. The dark of the cloudy night was broken up sporadically by street lights, but he couldn’t see any stars through the haze of the city’s pollution. It would be a few hours until sunrise; but it wouldn’t be long enough for him to get any actual sleep, and Ephemer knew it. As soon as the sun was up, he’d be awake again. That’s how he’d always been, and probably always would be. 

Well, at least he didn’t have any classes tomorrow. Small mercies.

Staring at the wall and letting his mind wander wasn’t doing him any favors, Ephemer decided. And, well - his throat was getting kind of dry, anyways. Ephemer wrapped one of the blankets loosely around his shoulders as he sat up, swinging his legs slowly over the edge of the mattress. He felt like he was weighed down by a sheet of iron; his body just didn’t want to respond, no matter how slight the movement. 

There was a soft, curious meow from the doorway; Ephemer could just barely distinguish Chirithy from the darkness in the apartment, her tail flicking along the floor rhythmically. Ephemer smiled softly, bending down to scratch behind her ears as he passed. “I’m okay, Chirithy,” he promised. “Just going to get a drink. You can come with me if you want.” And sure enough, as Ephemer shuffled out into the kitchen, Chirithy turned to follow with a quiet pirrup. She wove between his ankles as he opened the fridge, watching curiously from between Ephemer’s feet as he grabbed a water bottle out of the door. 

Ephemer leaned against the counter, ever mindful of Chirithy circling his feet, and cracked the lid off of the bottle. The cold water didn’t do much to make him feel better, but, well, at least it didn’t feel like he had cotton in his mouth anymore. Ephemer rubbed at his eyes, glancing almost cautiously over at the stove. 2:57 am. It would be getting light out in just about three hours; there was no way he’d even get a _nap_ in before then at this rate. Shit. Ephemer had already given up on sleep for the night, but - well, it was still just a little upsetting, realizing just how long he’d actually been awake. 

Ephemer made his way out into the living room and slumped down onto the couch heavily. He had expected the eerie, still silence that only came in the dead of night to greet him once settled, but… he could hear - well, _something_ through the vent between his apartment and Vanitas’s, faint as it was. It didn’t sound quite like music; not quite like a conversation, either. _His TV must be on_ , Ephemer thought distantly. 

Which… _maybe_ meant that he was awake. _Hmm_. 

Since their chance encounter a few months back, Vanitas and Ephemer had been - well - _Ephemer_ would call them friends, at least. He wasn’t quite sure of Vanitas’s perspective yet, but he was sure he at least felt _somewhat_ similarly. He was a little hard to read sometimes, but… he didn’t duck back into his apartment when he saw Ephemer outside anymore. In fact, he usually waited by the stairwell if he knew Ephemer would be around, leaning nonchalantly against the railing with his nose in his phone like Ephemer didn’t know what he was doing. It had become a regular enough occurrence that Ephemer was surprised if he didn’t see him outside when he came home in the afternoon. 

The last time Ephemer could remember not having seen Vanitas when he got home was the day he’d found his phone number stuck to his front door on a sticky note. 

That… gave him an idea, actually. 

Ephemer made his way back to the bedroom, taking his phone off of the charger and pulling up his texts. Vanitas was embarrassingly close to the top of his recents. 

(Which was to say that he was second to Skuld by about an hour and a half.) 

To: Vanitas   
_Hey, are you up??_

Vanitas  
 _What is this a fucking booty call_

To: Vanitas  
 _What??? No!!!_

Vanitas  
 _Why are you awake  
_ _Why are you texting me at 3 am_

To: Vanitas  
 _I was just thirsty :(( are you watching a movie??_

Vanitas  
 _Go back to bed_

Ephemer sighed, fingers hovering over the keyboard hesitantly. Even when they weren’t face to face, it seemed like Vanitas could see right through him. Then again, well. Ephemer wasn’t a very good liar. He never had been. 

To: Vanitas  
 _I can’t sleep_

He bit his lip as he watched the screen. It was a solid minute and a half before a typing bubble popped up from Vanitas’s end; but it vanished almost instantly. It took nearly two more for the next message to come through. 

Vanitas  
 _What’s wrong?_

Oh, shit. He’d used punctuation. Ephemer could count on one hand the times Vanitas had used proper punctuation over text; usually when he was annoyed, or he was mocking someone. Ephemer typed and retyped his message half a dozen times. He didn’t know what to say; how to describe it, what words would work best. But he couldn’t leave Vanitas without an answer. 

To: Vanitas  
 _I don’t know. I think I’m sad_

Vanitas   
_You “think”_

To: Vanitas   
_It’s hard to explain  
_ _This just sorta happens sometimes?  
_ _I get lonely and then I can’t sleep, idk._

Another minute passed - but no typing bubble appeared on his screen. Maybe he’d lost interest in the conversation. Ephemer couldn’t really blame Vanitas if he had; he knew he wasn’t making much sense. Honestly, Ephemer wasn’t even sure he _himself_ fully understood what he was feeling. There was never a name for it that felt quite right. He set his phone down in his lap, letting the screen auto-lock. As it went black, leaving him in the dark once more, it hit him again just how late it was. He hoped he hadn’t accidentally woken Vanitas up, or interrupted him as he was heading to bed - but he’d never managed to get an actual read on the other’s schedule. Sometimes it seemed like he _never_ slept. 

Ephemer wasn’t expecting his phone to light up again; nor was he expecting the message that had popped up. For a long moment, Ephemer just… _stared_. He half expected the text to vanish when he blinked. 

Vanitas  
 _The door’s unlocked  
_ _Do you like Pet Semetary or should I put something else on_

To: Vanitas   
_Um.  
_ _Is it scary??_

Vanitas  
 _Jesus  
_ _Venom? Not a horror movie before you ask  
_ _Get over here before I lock you out dumbass_

He didn’t doubt that Vanitas would make good on that threat if he took too much longer. Ephemer was on his feet immediately, phone clutched close to his chest in both hands. He struggled his way into the first pair of socks he found (they weren’t matches, but both were star-print, at least) and rushed back out to the living room. Chirithy ran behind him, meowing at his heels as if asking what he was up to.

“I’ll be back soon!” Chirithy huffed dramatically as he ducked down to pet her, following Ephemer at a distance as he snagged his keys and headed for the door. He didn’t bother grabbing a pair of shoes before he left. It was a short walk; as long as he didn’t stub his toe into the ground like a klutz, he’d be fine without them. 

To: Vanitas  
 _Ok  
_ _Thank you_

Vanitas  
 _Shut up_

However off he felt, Ephemer couldn’t help but to smile a little. To a stranger - or even to an acquaintance, really - Vanitas would have come across as callous or aggressive; but Ephemer knew better. Vanitas just had a… well, subtler way of showing that he cared than most, and that was fine by Ephemer. 

Ephemer hugged the blanket closer as he stepped outside and locked his door behind him. It wasn’t cold, but there was a steady breeze; and his pajama shirt was a _little_ threadbare. He made his way over to Vanitas’s apartment, and reached up to knock gently—and the door whipped open before he could do much as touch it. 

Vanitas stood in the entrance, eyes narrowed and expression utterly bemused. He looked Ephemer over critically; there was a shift in his expression, minute as it was, but Ephemer couldn’t place it before it passed. “I told you it was unlocked.”

“Well… yeah, but—”

“Get in here,” Vanitas grumbled as he turned back into his apartment, hands shoved deep into the pocket of his hoodie. 

“O-okay,” Ephemer managed haltingly as he stepped inside, closing the door carefully behind him. 

None of the lights in Vanitas’s apartment were turned on; but the glow of the TV lit the room a pale blue, and as Vanitas sat on the old couch pressed against the opposite wall, Ephemer noticed something. He’d only been over to Vanitas’s apartment two or three times since they’d actually started hanging out, and he’d never been past the living room - but it looked _suspiciously_ like Vanitas had gathered up every blanket and pillow he owned and dumped them on the couch before Ephemer had gotten there. 

Vanitas looked up sharply, and Ephemer realized a moment too late that there was _probably_ a dumb little smile on his face. Vanitas’s expression soured in record time. “Not a word.” 

Ephemer didn’t quite manage to cover up the little laugh that bubbled out of him as he followed him to the couch. “I didn’t say anything!” 

It had only been a few minutes, but he already felt so much better here with Vanitas than he had sitting alone in the dark of his own apartment. He knew Vanitas would bite his head off if he tried to thank him in any capacity, but… he was glad they’d been awake at the same time. And Ephemer was so, so grateful Vanitas had invited him over for a while. He didn’t want to think about how long the strange mood he’d fallen into might have lasted otherwise. 

Vanitas didn’t bother responding this time around; he just rolled his eyes irritably, leaning over to pick the remote up from the floor by his feet. Ephemer sat next to Vanitas as he skipped over the pre-movie commercials, pulling his legs up onto the couch and getting comfortable. Ephemer dug the softest blanket out of the pile as he settled in, tucking his legs under himself and arranging the new blanket around the one he'd brought along with him. Ephemer set to fiddling with the other blankets in a bid to distract himself from close they were sitting, or how the blanket smelled like Vanitas, or— 

Ephemer looked up as the movie began, attention immediately fixed on the screen. After just a few minutes of the film, he turned his head towards Vanitas - but his eyes remained glued to the television. “Um. Vanitas?” 

Vanitas had taken to leaning against the arm of the couch with his chin propped up against his hand, eyes half-closed and legs stretched out in front of him. He didn’t bother looking away from the screen when he answered. “What.” 

“You said this wasn’t a horror movie, right?” 

“Sure did,” he drawled lazily.

Ephemer shot him a skeptical look. Well, he didn’t… _look_ like he was lying. But Ephemer didn’t quite trust how he caught Vanitas glancing at him out of the corner of his eye a moment later, like he was waiting for something to happen, waiting for him to do something. Suspiciously, Ephemer turned his attention back to the screen. “If you say s— _oh my god you told me this wasn’t scary!_ ” 

Vanitas burst into laughter as Ephemer scrambled across the couch to grab onto his arm. He shoved at Ephemer half heartedly; but he wasn’t putting up a real fight. “No, I said it wasn’t a horror movie. There’s a _difference._ ” 

“See if I ever trust you again,” Ephemer grumbled, ducking his head halfway down behind Vanitas’s shoulder to block part of the screen. Vanitas didn’t try to shake him off again - instead, he just shifted to get comfortable, snickering under his breath when Ephemer held resolutely to his forearm. 

And, well, _maybe_ that made watching one of his weird movies worth it. 

* * *

Ephemer woke with a quiet yawn, and - _part_ of a stretch. Well, he would’ve stretched if his right arm wasn’t wrapped around Vanitas, and his left wasn’t partially pinned by the other’s arm draped over his waist. 

… wait a minute. 

Ephemer’s eyes shot open, and he could feel his ears getting hotter as his face flushed. He held very, _very_ still, hoping against hope that Vanitas wouldn’t wake on the off chance he hadn’t already. The opening title of a movie Ephemer didn’t remember watching was rolling on repeat on the screen, and just around the edges of the blackout curtains hung over the window, he could see the soft light of early morning outside of the apartment. Ephemer didn’t remember so much as closing his eyes, but - he must have fallen asleep leaning against Vanitas at some during their impromptu movie marathon. And… Vanitas hadn’t woken him up or tried to move him as Ephemer would have expected. In fact, it _almost_ seemed like Vanitas had turned towards him to let Ephemer curl up against his side with his head on Vanitas’s chest. And Ephemer _maybe_ would have freaked out a little more about the whole thing if he wasn’t so tired, or if he wasn’t so caught up in the steady, comforting sound of Vanitas’s heartbeat under his ear, or how warm he was, or how comfortable he felt curled up like this—

“I can _hear_ you overthinking this,” Vanitas grumbled, voice thick with sleep. 

Ephemer winced, glancing up sheepishly at the other. Vanitas’s eyes were still closed; his expression neutral, face relaxed. If he hadn’t spoken, Ephemer likely wouldn’t have realized he was awake at all. It took Ephemer an embarrassing amount of time to respond, too caught up in their proximity. He’d never noticed the little scar on his nose, jagged and glossy with age. Or the faint, faded freckles that dotted the bridge of his nose. Or… shit. He was getting sidetracked again. “Oh, uh - sorry, I didn’t… I didn’t mean to wake you up.” Ephemer managed, ever-eloquent.

Vanitas didn’t respond; he didn’t give any indication that he’d heard him at all, really. Ephemer paused before he spoke again; quieter this time, and much more hesitant. Ephemer didn’t let himself think too hard on why that might be. He already knew. “I can go, if you want.”

Vanitas locked his arm around Ephemer as soon as the words were out of his mouth. “Go back to sleep.” 

Ephemer lifted his head and stared, eyes wide. He knew he probably had a terrible case of bed head, and he knew Vanitas would probably see how red his face was in the light of the TV if he happened to open his eyes, but - Ephemer _really_ hadn’t expected that response. Hadn’t expected _any_ of this, honestly. Maybe he was right to think that Vanitas didn't quite see him as a friend. He'd just been right in a different way than he'd first anticipated. 

Vanitas didn’t give him time to stumble his way through another reply. He cracked an eye open, looking down at Ephemer plaintively. “ _Overthinking_ ,” he intoned. 

Ephemer snorted under his breath, laying his head back down without protest. Vanitas’s arm relaxed as soon as Ephemer settled back in against his side, thumb smoothing gently over his side. Ephemer’s heart fluttered in his chest, and he wondered for half a moment if Vanitas would have been able to feel it. “Okay.” A moment passed between them in silence; all he could hear was Vanitas's heartbeat, the quiet background noise of the movie's title screen. “G’night, Vanitas.” 

“It’s 7 am, dipshit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This uhhh took me a while bc i got curbstomped by the Sads again but!! here it is!!!
> 
> also. I can't think of a one-word prompt for the letter D someone please help a bitch out sdgkjfdgk


End file.
